Self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine



May 26, 1953 w. G. TAYLOR l-:TAL 2,639,741

SELF-PROPELLED wooDwoRKING AND FINISHINOn-@OHINE Filed sept. 29, 195ov 5 Sheets-Sheet l 10 MOTOR y 33 SZ'N o' 4s sbfv; 23

'r i f n. r`25 35-f L MOTOR c:1 MOTOR I2o i4 lh 3o 8 43o 43 9 '-L-vsa 5 /aa JNVENToRs 22M/gw AGE/yr May 26, 1953 w. G. TAYLOR "E1-m. 2,639,741

SELF-PROPELLED WOODWORKING AND FINISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1950 3 S-hqet's-.Sheet 3f INVENTOR. WILLIAM G. TAYLOR 8 BY CLEO W. CAMPBELL Mwxwx AGENTS Patented May 26, 1.953

OFFICE SELF-PROPELLED WOODWORKING AND FINISHING MACHINE William G. Taylor and Cleo W. Campbell, San Diego, Calif.

Application September 29, 1950, Serial No. 187,522

4 Claims.

`Our invention relates to a self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine, and the objects of our invention are:

First, to provide a machine of this class having tracks which may be fixed to the work whereby the machine propels itself on said tracks over the surface of the work, providing a surface finish on the work which is smooth and true in accordance with said tracks;

Second, to provide a machine of this class which is particularly adapted for use in surfacing and refinishing the upper surfaces of shufeboard tables or the like;

Third, to provide a machine of this class which saves considerable time and expense in the surfacing on shuiileboard table tops;

Fourth, to provide a machine of this class which is very simple to set up and operate;

Fifth, to provide a machine of this class in which the tracks thereof may be of any length desired for finishing table surfaces as long dimensionally as desired;

Sixth, to provide a machine of this class which may be used for a large variety of planing operations;

Seventh, to provide a machine of this class which may be used for planing, sanding or polishing the surfaces of various shufileboard tables, or other work over which said machine may be operated; and

Eighth, to provide a machine of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, efficient in operation, 4and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, our invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top or plan view of our self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine, showing portions thereof broken away to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of our self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine, taken from the line 2 2 of Fig. l, showing portions broken away to facilitate the illustration and amplify the saine; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on enlarged scale, taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken from the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Figure 5 isa crosssectional View of the entire machine; Figure 6 is an end elevation as viewed from the right hand end of Figures 1 and 2; Figure '1 is a detailed showing of the means for attaching the rollers to the end plates; Figure 8 is a detailed showing of cutter bar screw adjusting means.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The tracks I and 2, carriage frame 3, rollers 4 and 5, bevel gears 6, 1, 8 and 9, flexible shafts I0 and II, motors I2 and I3, pulleys I4 and l5, belt I6, cutter bar I1, cutters I8, I9 and 20, shaft 2|, screws 22, 23, 24 and 25, sprockets 2KB, 21, 28, 29, 3S and 3I, chains 32, 33 and 34, crank handle 35, gear racks 36 and 31, spur gears 38 and 3'9, nuts 4u and 4I, track-supporting screws 42, 43, 44 and 45, bearings 46 and 41, and the cutter frame 4B, constitute the principal parts of our self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine.

The tracks I and 2 are substantially U-shaped in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and are provided with openings la and 2a, through which the screws 42 and 43 project, which provide support for the tracks I and 2 at opposite edges of a shuiiieboard table and to be coextensive With the table, as indicated by dash lines A in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The tracks are coextensive in a longitudinal, as well as transverse, direction. Within the table A at its opposite edges are installed bushings 42a and 43a, which are internally screw-threaded, engageable with the external screw-threads on the screws 42 and 43. These screws 42 and 43 tightly lit the openings Ia and 2a for precisely maintaining the tracks I and 2 in certain fixed relationship to the upper surface B of the shuiiieboard table A.

Positioned within the tracks I and 2 are the gear racks 33 and 31, with which the spur gears 39 and 33, respectively, are meshed. The spur gears 38 and 39 are revolubly mounted on common shafts with the bevel gears 9 and 1, respectively, which shafts extend through the side plates 3a and 3b of the carriage frame 3, in which said shafts are revolubly mounted. These side plates 3a and 3b are xed to the tracks I and 2 and to the upright frame ends 3c and 3d, which are interconnected by rods 3e, 3f, 3g and 3h.

It Will be noted that the frame uprights '3c and 3d are positioned above the tracks 2 and I, respectively, and support the screws 22, 23, 24 and 25 in longitudinal fixed relationship therewith, and in freely revoluble relationship therewith. These sCTQWS 22, 23. 24 and 25 are shouldered near oppositeends as best shown in Figure 8 to 3 prevent longitudinal movement thereof in the uprights 3c and 3d of the carriage frame 3, and Xed to the cutter frame 48, at its opposite end plates ita and llb, are screw-threaded nuts en gaging the screws 22 and 23, as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Mounted on the screw 22 is the sprocket 2t, and mounted on the screw 23 are the sprockets 2l and 28.' Mounted on the screw 25 are the sprockets 29 and 3D, and mounted on the screw 2d is the sprocket 3i. The chain 32 engages the sprockets 3| and Sil, while the chain 33 engages the sprockets 29 and 21, and the l chain Sli engages the sprockets 23 and 26;

The crank handle 35 is fixed on the screw 23,

so that rotation thereof causes concurrent rota-l tion of the screws 22, 23, 24 and 25, by means of the sprockets and chains hereinbefore described.

The end plates 58a and 48h of the cutter frame i8 are interconnected by bars 68o, Milla@ and AS. Supported on the bars 43C and tac is the motor frame 48g, carryingv the motors l2 and I3 in superimposed relationship to each other. The shaft 2i, carrying the cutter bar I1 iixed thereto, is removably journaled at opposite ends of the bearings 4l@ and al on the end plates 48h and 43a, respectively, and Xed to one end of the shaft 2l is the pulley l5, engaged by the belt I6, passing over the pulley lli on the shaft 52a of the motor i2.

The motor i3 is provided with projecting shaft connections i3d. and i3?) on opposite ends lthereof, to which the flexible shafts iii and l i, respectively, are connected. These flexible shafts I and Il are connected with the gears 8 and (i, respectively, in mesh with the gears 9 kand l, hereinbefore described.

The carriage frame 3 is supported by the rollers li and in the tracks l and` 2,1as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, wherein these rollers Il and having ball bearingsl, are journaled on bolts 5d which pass through spacers Q9 and are fastened by nuts 52. The bolts project from theside plates 3b and 3a, respectively, of said carr-iage frame 3, as shown in Figure '7.

The, operation of our self-propelled Awoodworking and finishing machine is substantially as follows:

Whenthe tracks l and 2 are lixedto the opposite edges of the shuilleboardftable A by the screwsV l2 and Lil-3, which engage bushings lia Vand 3a in the shuiieboard, the tracks extend-'the entire length of the shuiiieboard andextend `approximately 6 inches past the shuiilehoard proper at either end. The shuleboard is approximately 3 inches thick and surroundedfny a' channel. This channel along the length ofthe board is about 3 in. wide and 3 in. deep. At'either end Aof the shuileboard the channelis about 8'inches wide and has a removable upwardlyextending apron. The tracks are tted within the side channels and extend over theend-channels to allow the entire shueboard to be reinished and to provide adequate support forvthe machine. The machine after successive refinishing jobs `can remove up to one inch of the-original-thickness of the shuiileboard. Figurer 5 shows the machine with the cutter, bar in its .lowest position.V The motors i2 and I3 are operated, which cause rotation of the shaft 2i and operation of the spur gears 3S and 39. Preliminary to the passage of the carriage framel t along the tracks and an'adju'stm'ent of thev cutter frame, L33, relative to the' carriage frame 3 is made by Ineansof .the crank handle vr for verticallyadjusting the cutter "frame d8, as hereinbefore described, Thus,

the depth of cut on the upper surface of the table A may be adjusted by adjusting the cutter bar Il, having the cutters i3, i9 and 20 in connection therewith, so that the desired cut is taken across the entire width of the upper surface of the table A during the passage of the carriage frame 3, together with 'the rollers a and 5, along the tracks l and 2 over the length of the table.

It willv be here noted that when the tracks l and 2 are iixed to opposite edges of a shufeboard table top, they are aligned in accordance with the connected relationship of said tracks I and 2 with the rollers Il and 5, which are best shown inFig. 3 or" the drawings, wherein there is a pair of rollers 5 in the track 2, and a corresponding pair of spaced rollers l in the track l. Thus, alignment parallel to each other is always maintained preliminary to the installation of the tracks l and 2 at opposite edges of the table top A.

Though we have shown and described a par ticular construction, combination and arrange; ment of parts and portions, wedo not wish to vbe limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to includeV in the scope oi our invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire lto secure by' Letters Patent is:

l. A self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine, comprising a pair of tracks adapted to be secured to opposite edges of the work, pairs of rollers on said tracks, a carriage frame supported by said rollers, gear racks in said tracks, gear means on said carriage frame engageable with said racks, means for propelling said gears, and a rotating horizontal cutter bar transversely arranged between said tracks and vertically adjustably mounted on said carriage frame relative to said work, screw means for vertically adjusting said cutter bar and means for rotatingsaid bar.

2. A self-propelled woodworking and nishing machine, comprising a pair of tracks adapted to be secured to opposite edges of the work, pairs of rollers on said tracks, a carriage frame supported by said rollers, gear racks in said tracks, gear means on said carriage frame engageable with said racks, means for propelling said gears, and an axially horizontal rotating cutter bar adjustably mounted on said carriage frame relative to said work, and means for rotating said bar, screw means for vertically adjusting saidcarriage frame, a frame for said rotating bar, vertically adjustable relative to said carriage frame, and means for maintaining the-same infadjusted position relative thereto, said rotating bar rotatable on a horizontal'anis, and wood surfacing means on said bar for cutting the upper surface or" the work.

3. In a self-propelled woodworking `and nish# ing machine, a pair of tracks secured irl-spaced parallel` relationship toa table top-or the like, pairs of rollers engaging said tracks, a tramesupported on said rollers, traction means -in'said tracks, and connectedv with said carriage'vframe for motivating said carriagef1a.me-along4 said tracks, and an axially horizontab rotatably mounted woodworking bar'. verticallyl-adju-stably supported on said .carriage'frama' engageable with the upper surface cf-the work intermediate said tracks and screw meansenasaid-'carriage for vertically.. adj usting` cutterbar.A

4f. In a self-propelled woodworking and finishing machine, a pair of tracks secured in spaced parallel relationship to a table top or the like, pairs of rollers engaging said tracks, a carriage frame supported on said rollers, traction means in said tracks connected with said carriage frame for motivating said carriage frame along said tracks, and an axially horizontal rotatably mounted woodworking cutter bar vertically adjustably supported on said carriage frame, engageable with the upper surface of the Work intermediate said tracks, a cutter frame for said cutter bar and adjusting screws in said carriage frame adapted to vertically adjust said cutter frame, said adjusting screws having synchroniz- 15 2,454,992

ing chain and sprocket means for operating al1 of said adjusting screws concurrently.

WILLIAM G. TAYLOR. CLEO W. CAMPBELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,285,041 Clark Nov. 19, 1918 1,795,953 Johnson Mar. 10, 1931 2,288,782 Brown July 7, 1942 2,314,697 Goff Mar. 23, 1943 2,320,161 Tolboys May 25, 1943 2,342,267 Goi Feb. 22, 1944 Coleman Nov. 30, 1948 

